


Wartime Letters

by Luna_Myth



Series: Nali Week 2015 [3]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - World War II, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, F/M, Marriage Proposal, NaLi Week, Separations, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 06:37:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4425191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Myth/pseuds/Luna_Myth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a horrific attack on one of its harbors, Fiore joins the war against the Alignment on behalf of the Associates and a country-wide draft starts, forcing Natsu Dragneel away from his girlfriend, Lisanna Strauss. Two part story for Days Three and Four, Lost, Apart, Away and Reconciliation of Nali Week 2015.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost, Apart, Away

**Fiore, Earthland. December 8, 711.**

A train whistled. Chatter and activity hummed throughout the station. It was filled with soon-to-be soldiers and their loved ones, saying good bye and exchanging last minute gifts. One such young man, dressed in his new uniform but still wearing a scarf, was talking excitedly and confidently to a young woman with white hair. He was under the impression he’d be back soon, after an easy job of beating the Alignment.

A conductor shouted something, barely heard about the din of the station, and the young man had to cut himself off.

“I’ll see you soon, Lisanna! Right after we finish thrashing these guys!” He told the white haired young woman, grinning like he was ready for a fight.

She smiled back at him, believing him when he said he would be back soon. He would keep his word if he could and he had the strength to follow through. Now that Fiore had entered the war, it was surely a matter of time before the conflict ended.

The young man, new soldier Natsu Dragneel, leaned forward and kissed Lisanna lingeringly. As excited as he was to fight, he was going to miss her.

“Good-bye, Natsu.” Lisanna said, not too sadly. “Promise me you’ll write often! And I’ll see you again soon!”

Natsu had started to step away from Lisanna towards the train, his desire to help his country overcoming his dread of motion sickness.

“I will! I promise!” He called. He turned around and his backwards edging became a full-on run.

Lisanna watched Natsu run to the entrance of the train, his scarf and bag flying behind him. The conductor stopped him, glanced at his tag, and let him pass. Lisanna had one last image of Natsu, standing framed in the doorway to the train, before he disappeared from sight. Unable to leave just yet, she waited as the station emptied, leaving only the loved ones of the soldiers and a few workers behind. And then slowly, the train pulled out of the station.

A few people Lisanna recognized had managed to get window seats, but Natsu wasn’t among them. She hadn’t expected him to be, though, because as soon as the train started moving he would have been useless. So she simply waved at the departing soldiers, friend and foe alike, and tried to soothe the underlying feeling that she wouldn’t be seeing all of them alive and well again.

**Fiore, Earthland. January 16, 712.**

In a training camp near the western edge of Fiore, Natsu was finally prepared for combat. It had been a grueling five weeks, even by his standards, but it wasn’t enough to drain his optimism. He felt ready to take on an army, which was fortunate, as that was what he was about to do. And the training had taught him a few tricks that might help him out, although he suspected they might not be the tricks his instructor had had in mind.

The first day after he’d completed his training, Natsu automatically woke up and got dressed before seven am, contrary to his old nature. He had picked up the habit sometime during his second week at the training facility. It had served him well for the remainder of the training, but now that he and the others had the day off it was something of a nuisance.

Tomorrow, they were going to be deployed, but for now, Natsu passed the time talking with his old friends and new comrades. He wished Lisanna were there. Time always flew with her. But sooner rather than later, the soldiers retired to bed, anxious for the coming dawn and their first day in action.

**Fiore, Earthland. January 27, 712.**

For once, Lisanna’s weekly rush to check the mail paid off. Apart from one brief letter two weeks after Natsu had arrived at the training facility, or so she assumed as he hadn’t actually mentioned, this was the first letter she’d gotten from him. An actual letter, explaining what he was up to and to an extent, what he was going to do. A few things had been cut out of it, but Lisanna could tell from what remained that Natsu had been warned beforehand about this possibility. He was as vague as possible about where he was going. Or more likely, where he was, Lisanna thought. Letters never seem to travel fast enough during wartime.

She smiled at the letter with an unusual fondness. It was a message from Natsu, a soldier, and it had made it here from mostly likely a combat zone. That had to mean something. At least it meant something to Lisanna. It meant good things. And after not-quite two months without one of the best things in her life, good things were sorely lacking in supply.

Tucking the letter safely into an old shoe box, Lisanna chided herself for her negative thinking. She still had plenty of good things in her life. A lot of her female friends were still around and her town hadn’t enforced many restrictions or rules for the war effort. They hadn’t even been put on wartime rations yet. Life carried on, the same as it always did, but for Lisanna one crucial element was missing…

**Fiore/Ishgar Border, Earthland. January 30, 712.**

After two weeks of his regiment being on stand-by, whether to reinforce other troops or to seize a potential opening, Natsu and his comrades were finally being told to take the offensive. If he’d been told that two weeks ago, he would have been excited. And while he wasn’t ready to run yet, Natsu wasn’t feeling quite as up for a fight as he had been. It was an alarming notion, to both him and the rest of the rookie soldiers he had trained alongside. Everyone knew Natsu Dragneel didn’t back down from a fight.

He still thought the war would end soon, but after several weeks of watching the wounded retreat through their camp, he wasn’t as certain everyone would make it home unscathed. The cuts and bruises from a fist fight were one thing, something Natsu knew very well, but seeing people carried past missing whole limbs or even just lying covered in blood, a mere shell of a person, was another thing entirely. He would not admit to anyone, himself or another, that he was worried. Instead he played it off as if he just didn’t want anyone to get hurt because it meant more work for him, but even that rang false. All of the soldiers were uneasy, and everyone knew it, just some people were more willing to admit it than others.

So before they broke camp, Natsu finally sat down and wrote Lisanna a letter. He should have been writing her every week, to be honest, but whenever he had thought about it there had been either nothing to tell or nothing he felt comfortable telling. It was silly of him, really. Out of everyone he knew, Lisanna was the easiest to talk to and she probably wanted to hear from him. He knew she would read his letter (and reply to it) no matter what he wrote, and she would probably have some really good advice, too.

She had been writing to him every week with updates about the town and their friends, always asking how he was doing, but here he was, refusing to write her a letter in return because he didn’t want to admit that he was worried. That people were actually being wounded and killed in this conflict. He missed being able to talk to her openly and easily, but at the same time, he wasn’t when he could have been!

This was getting too introspective for Natsu’s liking, so he attempted to explain to Lisanna in writing what was happening. He’d let this go on long enough.

By the end of Natsu’s letter, he felt better knowing that soon Lisanna would receive some part of it and understand. He would have felt even better if she’d actually been there, however, and her absence suddenly pressed in on him keenly. He missed everything about her and as much as he tried to ignore it he found himself looking wistfully after the letter, wishing he was going where it was.

 _Now I really am being dumb,_ Natsu thought. _It’s not even been two months!_

He tried to brush the whole thing off, but the feeling wouldn’t fade. And once again, time moved slowly without Lisanna there and he waited restlessly for the orders to begin the march towards their new offensive position.

**Fiore, Earthland. February 2, 712.**

Word had gotten around the town that their group of soldiers was on the move. Lisanna was hoping for a letter from Natsu any day now. If they really were heading into combat, she was certain one was on the way.

She hoped he was alright. Her faith in him, while considerable, could only extend so far. Although no one discussed it openly, all sides had been taking heavy losses. Some people’s belief and optimism that the conflict would be a short affair was dimming as more and more reports came in siting heavy combat around the outskirts of Fiore. While none of the town’s people had been involved directly yet, everyone had received letters from far-off friends and family that someone had been a casualty of the war.

In the meantime, Lisanna had found that she was adding to her list of good things mentally. Whenever she thought of one, she smiled and ran through the list in her head. She hadn’t meant to start doing it, but she had realized at some point that it took her mind off of Natsu and the war. And it had certainly resulted in a more positive way of looking at the world. She was determined to keep her spirits up.

The only trouble was that everything else seemed determined to remind her of the conflict and of all the people that weren’t here. From the townsfolk to the newspapers to the posters in the grocery store, everything proclaimed it was wartime. And wartime meant that a certain Natsu Dragneel might be heading to a battle at that very moment.

Lisanna walked back from the store with a few things still not in her possession, (it seemed the rationing of items had reached them after all), and idly wondered what Natsu was being fed, wherever he was. She bet it wasn’t as good as her cooking. And she doubted whoever was preparing it appreciated getting to create something for such an enthusiastic diner.

**Fiore/Ishgar Border, Earthland. February 8, 712.**

A full two months now since he’d left home, Natsu had finally seen combat. More importantly, he’d lived to tell of it with barely a scratch, something that could not be said for everyone in his regiment of no-longer rookie soldiers. Several of his friends from back home had suffered minor injuries, mostly shrapnel wounds, and a new comrade of his was in critical condition. He was greatly relieved, though, that all of his friends, new and old, had survived. But there had still been several casualties.

The fighting had little more than territory skirmishes as they struggled to hold the position they’d been given, but the experience and the losses had cemented in Natsu’s unit the knowledge that they were foot soldiers in the middle of a war, and that war was often brutal. The skirmishes hadn’t lasted very long, though. After less than a week, the Alignment troop that opposed their position had retreated, apparently deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble.

This made Natsu wonder why they’d been sent here. They’d fought and been injured and people had been killed for what purpose? The enemy hadn’t tried very hard, ultimately, to keep the position, so it didn’t seem to be worth much.

Natsu knew he didn’t have the best understanding of military tactics, not that anyone had told him much about them, but was less than one hundred square feet of land worth blood?

From this first treasonous thought rose others. What were they fighting for, if not their country and an end to war? These fights that their blood and lives were being given for, would they truly matter? Would they actually help save lives and defend rights? And who did their commanding officers think they were to decide what they risked their lives for and what battles they fought?

If they were going to risk their lives, Natsu wanted to know what they were doing it for.

There were many things he would fight for: his honor, a friend’s honor, and a shot at glory the least among them. But there were only a few things Natsu could think of that he was willing to _die_ for…

What Natsu didn’t realize was that what he saw as only a few things was far more than most people were willing to risk their lives for. The lives of his friends were obviously worth pain and suffering for a thousand times over to Natsu, but the lives of the unknown innocent was something that Natsu could see himself giving his life for as well. Principles, ideologies, and faces ran through his mind.

And then stopped on a face. Lisanna’s face.

Not only was he willing to fight and die for her, but he was willing to live for her as well.

That was enough self-doubt for one day. Fighting and dying wasn’t what was important. Living was.

**Fiore, Earthland. February 22, 712.**

A couple of weeks ago, Lisanna and the rest of the town had heard about the results of the fight, through personal and official letters alike, and since then, the messages with results from combat hadn’t stopped. Natsu’s unit seemed to be fighting more often than not.

Every day brought a letter from someone the town knew, telling of an injury or a death, and slowly Lisanna watched her friends and neighbors grow more worried until their letter arrived and their worry changed to anguish.

Despite this, the only letters Lisanna has received about Natsu were from Natsu himself. He told what was happening in the most concrete sense that he could, but sometimes he admitted he was uneasy or uncertain. It was clear to Lisanna that the experience was affecting him in a different way than he’d expected. The amount of carnage present in Natsu’s small section of the conflict was astounding.

She always wrote back and assured him he was doing well and that soon the war would be over, but she wasn’t sure she was getting through to him. The increasingly somber tone of his letters worried her more than the possibility of him being injured, in some ways. She had never known him to sound so down-hearted. He was always the person telling others that it would be okay and they’d get through it, no matter how bleak it seemed.

Lisanna opened a new letter from Natsu, a thread of discontent still in her mind against all her attempts at optimism.

The letter said that Natsu and his unit were going to join with some larger forces who were playing a more active role in the war. Natsu actually sounded excited for the change of pace. He seemed to think that the new campaign might make a difference and if it would actually help his country, and therefore his town and friends, then he was all for it.

This was the most optimistic message from Natsu that Lisanna had heard in a while. Maybe the war really would end soon.

**Ishgar, Earthland. February 29, 712.**

Natsu and his unit had been in camp with the other forces for a few days now. He felt like he was right in the thick of things, maybe even making history. New people were rushing around camp, new supplies were being brought in, and moral was up. He wasn’t the only one who was getting a thrill from the thought of actually making a difference.

And if they were going to make a difference, today was the day. Those new supplies were for if there was any resistance while they tried to take the outpost. The new people rushing around camp were last minute reinforcements and scouts. The moral was up because the soldiers thought this would be easy and glorious and worthwhile.

The superior officers called for their units to prepare for a march. Natsu folded up his letter to Lisanna and put it in his pocket. He’d have to send it afterwards, with a postscript saying how it went.

Natsu grabbed his things, put on a hat, tucked his scarf into his uniform so he wouldn’t get in trouble, and ran to get into formation. Time to make history.

The march wasn’t long. It should have been much longer, actually. But a march, in Natsu’s experience, always ended with a fight or a camp and this one was no different in that respect.

There normally wasn’t this many enemy soldiers, he noticed, but this was a very important outpost. And there were a lot more of his comrades here this time, as well, and he didn’t want the fight be unfair. _Too many of us verses too few of them isn’t a fair fight; it’s slaughter._ Natsu thought, mildly annoyed about this scenario he’d created.

Soon, however, Natsu realized that slaughter was exactly what this fight was becoming. But it was his side that was being slaughtered.

Natsu shook off an enemy soldier, who had trying to engage him in close quarters combat, with a punch to the gut and a blow to the head and spun in a circle looking over the fighting. There were way more Alignment soldiers than Associate soldiers. And the Alignment outpost they were after was nowhere in sight.

They had been ambushed! That was the only explanation Natsu could think of. _What dirty, rotten, bastards!_ He thought viciously, throwing himself back into the fighting.

If there had ever been a divide between the Alignment soldiers and the Associates, it had long since disappeared. They were in close combat only, which was ultimately fortunate as Natsu was considerably more skilled at it than any alternatives. He tore into the enemies, ripping them off of friends and comrades, but still the battle raged. His energy was depleting, but his anger was not and so he continued fighting.

The sharpness of the screams and cries around him died away into a dull roar of pain and horror. Everything started to sound far away and drawn-out. He could have sworn the sky had darkened.

Suddenly, he felt eyes on him, an intense, cold, gaze. He started to turn, opening his mouth to release a rough shout of fury, but something small slammed into his collar bone and pain erupted in a hot wave from that point and spread over his body.

He fell, slumped over… something, (he couldn’t tell what), and his hands reached towards his neck and fumbled weakly with the buttons on his shirt. His breathing shallowed and his vision dimmed. The shouts and cries and moans of the battlefield seemed farther away than ever. The last thing he saw was the sky, a deep, intense blue that reminded him of…

**Fiore, Earthland. March 7, 712.**

Lisanna’s eyes widened in disbelief. A letter had arrived from the war front and it wasn’t from Natsu.


	2. Reconciliation

**Fiore, Earthland. March 7, 712.**

The letter had taken too long to arrive and when it did arrive, Lisanna’s fears had been confirmed. The message wasn’t from Natsu.

Before she could let herself assume the worst, she ripped open the letter and hurriedly read it over several times.

“This letter has been sent to notify you that as of February 29th, 777, Private Natsu Dragneel has been critically wounded in battle, with minimal chance of a full recovery.” The letter informed her. It sounded detached, like an automatic message sent in the event of injury or death befalling a soldier. “We are sorry for your loss.”

There was a signature at the bottom which must have been from Natsu’s commanding officer, or perhaps a field doctor. Either way, it wasn’t someone Lisanna recognized and it wasn’t the sloppily-written signature she longed to see.

Lisanna automatically put it in her shoe box of letters before leaning back against the wall, holding a hand to her mouth and holding in tears.

February 29th would have been the failed attempt on that outpost. The enemy had ambushed them before they had even reached it and massive amounts of casualties had been taken on both sides. If anything was capable of taking Natsu down, a battle of that scale was it. And even a fighter as strong as him would likely have died with only what treatment could be given to him on the battlefield after so many days.

 _He might not be dead._ A part of Lisanna thought. The rest of Lisanna’s mind was obsessing over the idea of a world without Natsu in it. It hardly sounded like a world worth living in. _The message only said he was injured, not dead._ Part of her mind insisted.

Lisanna wasn’t sure if it was denial or hope telling her Natsu might still be alive, but she was certain either one of those things was preferable to the prospect of accepting he was dead.

Taking a shaky breath, she pushed all thoughts of sadness and grief away. If he really was dead, there would be time for that later. But for now, Lisanna needed to find out what had happened to him and where he was. _And how I can help him._ She thought absently.

**Fiore Border, Earthland. March 7, 712.**

A field hospital had been set up in each of the major camps on the border and Natsu Dragneel lay unconscious in one, having been carried back to the border and a nearby camp by some of his comrades. If he hadn’t been so friendly and if his friends had been less stubborn, he would have been left on the battlefield. But none of the remaining soldiers from his unit had been willing to leave him, not when there was still a chance he could be saved. And so Natsu’s unit had carried back not only the unconscious Natsu, but every member of the unit who still breathed and could be saved.

There had been quite a few doubts that Natsu would survive the journey to the hospital, as he was unconscious, scarcely breathing, and bleeding from the neck, but when the unit reached the camp everyone was still hanging onto life.

Now, several days later, everyone was still hanging onto life and many of Natsu’s comrades had greatly improved, but he himself had experienced no change. His breathing was slow and shallow and his consciousness was still elsewhere.

What had changed was his prognosis. When he had first been brought in, the field doctors had taken a quick look at him and said his chances of recovery were slim to none. However, when they finally got back to him a day later, they found that he was still alive and covered in blood. His friends had forced some water into him earlier and had since been watching over him in turns.

Surprised and touched by the concern of Natsu’s friends, one of the doctors had attempted to check and bandage the wound on his neck and discovered that Natsu’s scarf had stopped the projectile from penetrating him all the way. Examining the blood on the clothing, the doctor had realized that not all of the blood was Natsu’s own and that he could be saved.

His clothing was changed and his wound bandaged and a variety of other things were done to him and he continued to breathe and his heart continued to beat, but his consciousness did not return.

His comrades still visited him, while visiting the others who weren’t fit for duty yet, and everyone wondered where the consciousness of their fiery and friendly comrade had went. The others were awake, so where was he?

**Fiore, Earthland. March 9, 712.**

Lisanna was asking that exact same question. Where was Natsu Dragneel now?

To the surprise of no one, the military wasn’t being forthcoming about the exact location of their soldiers. They insisted that information would be available to her at a later date. And that one way or another, she would be able to see him again soon enough. She tried not to read too much into that.

So Lisanna decided she would have to go about her search in a different way. She pulled out a map and grabbed her wallet before setting out to find Natsu. The train station was her first stop.

The conductor pointed her towards the train that would take her in the direction of the training camp with any hassle and Lisanna made a mark on her map.

**Fiore Border, Earthland. March 10, 712.**

Natsu’s condition still hadn’t changed and the doctors were trying to arrange for him to be taken to somewhere that was prepared to give him long-term care. The only thing stopping them was their close proximity to the warzone. Someone might be able to take him in a few days, or so they heard, but they were having trouble pinning down the details.

In the meantime, Natsu’s friends were wondering if he would ever wake up. He wasn’t getting worse, but he wasn’t getting better. What if he just stayed as he was? If he didn’t get better, then he would probably only get worse, one of them reasoned, as it would be hard to keep food and water in him.

If Natsu heard this proclamation he didn’t let on. His consciousness was content wherever it was and it didn’t seem intent on returning anytime soon.

**Fiore, Earthland. March 11, 712.**

Lisanna had reached a dead end. After the ambush during the march to the outpost, the survivors had retreated to one of the bigger camps on the border. Unfortunately, no one knew which one.

She sighed. For lack of a better option, she was going to have venture into the warzone in search of someone who could help her. It was far too late to turn back now. _And to be honest,_ Lisanna thought, _I wouldn’t be willing to even if I could._ She had been away from Natsu for long enough and she was done with not knowing his fate.

The first camp she wandered into was small and comprised of new soldiers, which was rather unfortunate because they hadn’t even been in combat yet and didn’t know much about any camps beyond their own. She had been about to leave when a courier passed through.

The courier said he didn’t know which camp the survivors of the ambush had fled to, but a friend of his might know. Apparently couriers spent a lot of time talking while waiting to deliver messages and word traveled fast through their inner circle.

It was a bit of a long shot as couriers had a tendency to remember a message, deliver it, and immediately forget it, but if anyone had been through enough camps to know where Natsu was, it would be one of them.

Lisanna thanked the courier profusely and rushed off at a speed that nearly put him to shame.

**Fiore Border, Earthland. March 12, 712.**

Natsu’s missing consciousness had worked its way into the dream world. His own personal dream world where he was at home and surrounded by everyone he cared about. He had returned from the war, having ended it at the ambush before being knocked unconscious, and when he had woken up he was home. He and Lisanna had been reunited, his friends had made it home safely, and all of the wartime restrictions had been repealed.

In his dream world, they celebrated with a feast and he even tried to help Lisanna make a cake for dessert. He had spilled the sugar, but now that the war had ended they still had plenty left. Lisanna had teased him while measuring out some more and surprised him by allowing him to lick the bowl for batter once the cake was in the oven.

The false world was so lovely and peaceful and pain-free that it was no wonder Natsu didn’t want to leave. His mindset was simplified in the dream state as well, to the extent that conscious thought and logic had abandoned him. He was being driven only by emotion, desire, and pleasure. And what could possibly make him want to leave such a perfect realm?

**Fiore Border, Earthland. March 13, 712.**

After a lot of trouble getting information out of the couriers, Lisanna had located someone from Natsu’s unit: Jet, who had been acting as a messenger on behalf of his unit and had befriended, in a way, the other couriers.

She had wasted no time asking him where Natsu was. But luck was not on her side and he hadn’t seen him since the battle. Still, Jet knew the location of the camp and had agreed to show her to it. Assuming she could keep up…

“I won’t pretend I’m as fast as you are, but there’s no way you’ll get out of my sight.” Lisanna informed him determinedly.

Jet shrugged and started to run for the camp without another word.

Lisanna was true to her word, Jet didn’t get out of her sight the entire trip, but it was a long and difficult journey none-the-less. The camp was far away and more than that, it was very close to the enemy’s territory. Jet took several impromptu detours to avoid enemy troops and Lisanna struggled to keep up with the faster pace he had adopted during those moments.

But at last a large camp, complete with a field hospital, was on the horizon and Lisanna’s heartbeat, already pounding very fast from the exertion, increased. She forced her tired legs to continue and pulled as much air as she could into her lungs.

She slid to a halt just inside the camp, beside Jet, who was looking around nonchalantly as he waited for her.

Breathing heavily, her heart still pounding with nerves and effort, Lisanna thanked Jet for his help and slowly made her way towards the field hospital on unsteady legs.

With a bit, (or perhaps a lot), of luck, she would find Natsu Dragneel, consciousness and all, inside.

**Fiore Border, Earthland. March 13, 712.**

Natsu’s dream world was moving faster than real time; perhaps his mind was trying to live a full life before his body expired.

He was with Lisanna and his friends, out somewhere to eat and have fun for his birthday. Everyone was having a great time being all together for once and he couldn’t be happier to see everyone he cared about safe and enjoying themselves. Even Igneel was there.

Lisanna suddenly kissed him and dragged him out onto the dance floor. He went along with it and smirked at the teasing noises his friends made. They were just wishing they had someone as awesome as Lisanna to spend their lives with.

“Hey Lisanna, do you want to get married sometime?” He asked suddenly as the idea struck him.

She beamed with pleasure. “I would love to.”

Natsu grinned and kissed her, happiness swelling within him and around him. His friends cheered.

But then, his dream world went dark and cold. The normal sounds turned off and a whispering noise surrounded him. It was raining, raining from somewhere up in the pitch black of the endless ceiling. His friends and Lisanna disappeared and he was alone.

This world wasn’t lovely or pain-free or perfect in any way. Natsu’s consciousness didn’t like this dream world and he noticed something he hadn’t before. This wasn’t right. Rain shouldn’t fall inside. And then he noticed something else. This rain didn’t feel like rain or smell like rain. It was salty.

He began to see all the details that didn’t make sense and conscious thought and logic returned. What was he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to be…?

He had fallen unconscious during the battle. He must be dreaming. Then why were salty raindrops falling? Wait, not raindrops. Tears. Someone was crying. Natsu didn’t like it when his friends cried. And he knew without a doubt that one was. That wasn’t any good. He had to help them.

He began to feel agitated. “Hey! Let me out of here! Let me help them!”

And then all of a sudden, he opened his eyes.

**Fiore, Earthland. March 16, 712.**

“I’m ready to go when you are!” Natsu insisted. “Let’s get out of here! I feel like I’ve been in here for ages!”

“That’s because you have been.” Lisanna reminded him, checking over all of Natsu’s belongings. She was fairly certain they had them all. “Just the same, I wouldn’t mind leaving this place myself.”

Even though the field hospital had helped keep Natsu alive, both of them desperately wanted to put some distance between themselves and the site of so much worry and suffering. Natsu might have finally woken up and been reunited with Lisanna, but he still wasn’t fit for duty, physically or emotionally.

Luckily for him, Lisanna was on the case. He was on leave until he was fully recovered and both he and Lisanna were secretly hoping the war would be over by then.

Another secret wish of theirs was marriage. Being separated for so long had brought to the surface a desire in both of them to never be separated again. And Lisanna guessed the military might be more forthcoming with Natsu’s location if they were married, if, god forbid, something like this happened again.

At least in that occurrence, Lisanna knew the key to waking him up was crying on him. Natsu never could stand to see a friend cry.

“That’s everything, Natsu.” Lisanna said. “We can go to our home now.”

He reddened at her choice of words and she winked at him.

Natsu unsteadily rose to his feet and Lisanna pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“So I was thinking,” Lisanna began as they slowly made their way out of the camp. “I don’t ever want to be separated from you again.”

“Yeah? So what are you trying to say?” Natsu replied nervously, his cheeks still red.

Lisanna whispered something in his ear and smiled at him.


End file.
